Process for separating the phases of emulsions, particularly of petroleum, by means of an electric current



Jan. 19 1926. 1,570,209

J H. C. DE BREY PROCESS FOR SEPARATING THEE PHASES OF EMULSIONS, PARTICULARLY OF PETROLEUM, BY MEANS OF AN ELECTRIC CURRENT Filed April 11 1924 A J \l Z/W en rar' J H C 04? Bray &

y ,5? z /a/w name Jan- 19, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES IAN HEINRICH CHRISTOPH DE BREY, F

HAGUE, NETHERLANDS.

THE HAGUE. NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOR TO PROCESS FOR SEPARATING THE PHASES OF EMULSIONS, PARTICULARLY 01' PETROLEUM, BY MEANS OF AN ELECTRIC CURRENT.

Application filed April 11, 1924. Serial No. 795,858.

To all whom it may concern-v Be it known that I, JAN Hnmnron Cmus- TOPH or. BREY, a subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, residing at The Hague, Netherlands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Separating the Phases of Emulsions, Partlcularly of Petroleum, by Means of an Electr c Current, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process for separating the phases of emulsions and particularly of petroleum, by means of an electric current and besides comprises a suitable apparatus for this purpose.

It is known that some emulsions and especially those of petroleum stubbornly retain a portion of the water contained therein; numerous attempts have therefore been made to break up these emulsions, in order that the water might be separated by the action of ravit or in another manner.

great numier o processes are based on the ap lication of an electric current.

' method is known for the separation of emulsions whereby a current of one or more phases is limited and rectified by means of.

a valve tube. This process is in fact based on the a plication of a pulsating direct current 0 high volta e, with which, owing to the quickly succee ing short current impulses under high tension, 'a very rapid separation of the emulsion is attained. The strength of the current is limited for\ the purpose of making it independent from the resistance of the liquid to be treated. In applying this process important advantages have been obtained; in practice however it met with various difliculties.

In the first place the capacit of the present day valve tubes is limite so that for a large scale a plication too large a number of valve tu es would have to be used, which involves technical difiiculties. In the second place, when applying a pulsating direct current an electrolytical b -phenomanon-occurs, which has a disturbing efiect v/ on the process when operating with greater power and on a commercial scale.

M invention also possesses the advantage of t e quickly succeeding impulses, resulting in an extra-ordinarily rapid separation. Moreover the current limiting property as previously disclosed, is also obtained, but in such a way as to obviate the disadvantages referred to.

According to my invention the essential feature of the process consists in the application of a pulsating alternating current, the peak voltage of which is a multiple, but at least the double, of the effective voltage. My invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a volta e curve of one form of current usable in t e invention.

Fig. 2 is a voltage curve of a second form of current.

Fig. 3 is a voltage curve of a third form A of current pulsating in but one direction.

Figs. 4 and 5 are voltage curves of two different forms of sinusoidal current each usable with a plurality of emulsion tanks.

According to my invention it is also possible to apply an alternate current, pulsating in one direction only, the peak voltage of the positive part ofthe-curve being'a multiple of the positive efi'ective voltage, whereas the negative part of the curve shows an even course without peak, but of such a form that the effective negative voltage is eiqualstp the effective positive voltage. (See In applying the rocess according to my invention it is pre erable to use an apparatus, which in accordance with my invention, possesses the feature that the one or more phase pulsating alternate current of normal to middle frequency is either directly generated by means of a generator with a peaky asymmetrical volta curve or, by means of a generator with a sinusoidal voltage curve, in which latter case the generator is directly coupled to a synchronously running current interrupter, which interrupts the current at the moment that the voltage=0, whilst in both cases one or more emulsion separators can be connected peak voltage reaches a multiple which is at least double the effective voltage. (See Figs. 4 and 5.) v p The following will serve to further explain m invention.

It is own that the phases of an emulsion may be separated by an electric current of suflicient voltage-and that the higher the'voltage, the more complete will be the separation. The higher the voltage however, the greater will be the intensity of current, i. e. the energy consumption, required for an emulsion of a certain electrical resistance. Watery emulsions of low electrical resistance soon result in such a great consumption of energy as to make the process no longer practicable. It has now been found that the efi'ect to be obtained, i. e. the less or greater degree of com letion in the separation, does not depen on the effective voltage, (often called middlevoltage), but is exclusively determined by the degree of the peak voltage, i. e. the highest momentary value of the voltage.

If the peak voltage is taken to be max, and the effective voltage E, and the relation If the separation of the emulsion is now effected with alternate current of a sinusoidal or an almost sinusoidal course then, as f for a sinusoidal voltage curve is equal it follows that the consumption of energy aim:

i. e. the technical effect of the process-increases with the first power, butthe energy consumption is proportional to the second power of the peak voltage used, with the result that the process becomes economically impracticable unless the resistance of the emulsion is very large. This latter is not generally the case with watery emulsions; hence the failures in the employment of known processes of emulsion separation.

According to my invention a pulsatingcurrent is used for separating the emulsion, the peak voltage being at least double and preferably the 5 to 10 fold of the effective voltage, i. e. the above mentioned factor may then e. g. be 5.

The energy consumption is then equal to:

and for f=10 the energy consumption as compared with an energy consumption of in applying an ordinary alternate current; it is thus apparent that only 8% resp. 2% of the power 1s now necessa The ,electrolytical by-e ectlwhich occurs with a pulsating direct current is eliminated by the use of a pulsating alternate current or by using an alternate current pulsating in one directiononly, in such a manner that the positive partof the curve has a peak voltage of 5-10 times the efiective positive voltage, and the negative part of the curve shows a slightly varying voltage, but without eak so that the effective negative voltage is equal to the effective ositlve voltage.

It is to be understood t at the process and apparatus as set forth in this specification and the claims may be used in connection with other processes and with apparatus known in the art.

I claim:

1. A process for separating the phases of emulsions, and more particularly of petroleum emulsions, comprising, applying to the emulsion to be treated a pulsating alternating current havin a peak voltage which is a multiple of the e ective voltage.

2. A process for separating the phases of emulsions, and more particularly of petroleum emulsions, comprising, applyin to the emulsions to be treated a pulsating a ternating current, said current pulsating in but one direction, the pulsating tive voltage 0 6 posite sign has an even peaks and of a form such and in which the peak voltage of art is a multiple of the efiecthis part, and. the part oirzpcourse that its effective voltage is equal to the effective voltage of the peaked part.

3. A process leum emulsions, compri for separating 1 emulsions, and more partic the phases of arly of petrosing, pp y In each separate emulsion container the peak voltage of the current supplied to the container is a multiple of the efiective voltage of such current.

testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAN HEINRICH CHIIS'I'OPII do REY. 

